Pacific Swimming Officials

Officials needed for Santa Clara International Grand Prix --

Stroke and turn officials are still needed for the May 31-June 3 Santa Clara International Grand Prix.

Officials wishing to work this year's meet need to have their applications emailed to Brian Malick by Friday, May 25, in order to be on the officials entry and parking list.

Request for evaluation form for Santa Clara International Grand Prix --

If you're planning on working the Santa Clara International Grand Prix and are interested in requesting evaluation for national certification, click here for a copy of the request for evaluation form.

New interpretation of breaststroke rule issued --

On March 7 of this year, FINA issued an interpretation of the breaststroke rule covering the initiation of the arm pull. This interpretation also applies to correctly judging the timing of the single butterfly kick which may follow initiation of the arm pull. Follow this link for the complete interpretation.

Major meet assignments for 2012 --

Follow this link for the 2012 major meet officials assignments. Officials wishing to be considered for assignment to any unfilled positions at any of the year's major meets should contact Officials Chairman Brian Malick.

Zone 1 South opportunities to officiate --

Zone 1 South officials chair Mike Davis has asked us to post this list of zone and Pacific meets which are potential opportunities for Zone 1 South officials.

Pacific Officials clinic handouts --

Following are links to handouts from the Jan. 2012 officials clinic in San Francisco:

Referee: Head Referee | Meet Referee Sanction Checklist
Starter: Being A Starter
Admininstrative Referee: Admin Ref Overview | Admin Referee Binder
Stroke and Turn: Positioning | Advanced Stroke and Turn | Web Info for Officials | Steps to Become an Official (oriented to Zone 4 officials)

Beginning stroke and turn presentation -- Follow this link for the Beginning Stroke and Turn presentation which is used in conjunction with stroke and turn official training classes in Pacific. The presentation provides an introduction to the basic stroke and turn rules and to the philosophy and protocol of officiating.

Athlete protection program introduced -- In order to join USA Swimming as non-athlete members or to renew their non-athlete membership, officials are required to complete an online athlete protection training course. The course is available through the USA Swimming website at this link. The course takes about an hour to complete and is free of charge. Non-athlete members will be required to complete this course every two years.

Background check requirement -- A continuing reminder: all USA Swimming officials now must successfully complete a background check in order to join or to renew as non-athlete members and to work on the the deck as carded officials. Please be aware of the following:

The following link will take you to a page with details about the background check requirements and a link to initiate the background check process.
Cost for the Level 2 check, which is required for officials, is $39. Renewal is required every 24 months at a cost of $19.
Pacific Swimming will reimburse the cost of the background check for all level 2 and above officials. Reimbursement will be made through the official's zone, with the LSC then reimbursing the zone. Contact your zone officials chair (see list at bottom of this page) for details.
Level 1 (trainee) officials are not required to complete a background check, since they are required to be working under the supervision of a level 2 or higher official.
Questions regarding the background check process may be directed to Laurie Benton at (925) 686-1286 or laurie4pc@aol.com.
Follow these links for background check FAQs from USA Swimming and a background check program summary from USA Swimming.

Materials from Jan. 2011 Pacific officials clinic --

Following are handouts from the Jan. 2011 Pacific officials clinic:

Referee: Meet Management Handout | Qualities of a Good Referee Handout | Referee Training Checklist | Starter/Deck Referee Guidelines
Admininstrative Referee: Admin Ref Overview | Check-In Example | Scratch Sheet for Finals | General Admin Duties | Levels and Needs for Admin Ref | No-Show Record Sheet | Scratch Procedures | Time Adjustments
Chief Judge: Chief Judge/Assistant Chief Judge
Stroke and Turn: Color Guide -- Rules to DQ Slips | How to Fill Out DQ Slip

Officiating Schedules
LSC meets	2012 meet assignments	Application to officiate
National Certification meets	Request for Evaluation (PDF \| Word)

	Basics for Everyone
	Get your registration card- Register for the first time or renew your card (must renew by Jan 1 of each year)
	Order a name tag- Order your own name tag any time
	Take online tests (for stroke & turn, starter, referee, etc.)
	Log in to OTS (to track meets worked, apply for national certification, etc)

	Meet Referees

	Submit a meet report (For Pacific Swimming -- in addition to OTS report)
	Dual/Tri/Quad Meet Report (for meet refs)
	Review Meet Reports

	Zone chairs - clinic application form -- Download, fill out, and send as PDF to sanctions chair.

Evaluation and Advancement
Stroke & Turn	Advancement criteria	Evaluation form
Deck Referee	Advancement criteria	Evaluation form
Starter	Advancement criteria	Evaluation form

	Rules and Resources

	USA Swimming -- Situations and Recommended Resolutions
	USA Swimming - Rule Interpretations
	Article 105 case studies: Swimmers with Disabilities

Toolbox of Forms
Lap count forms	500y	1000y	1650y	800m	1500m
Relay takeoff	8 lanes (PDF)	8 lanes (Word)	10 lanes (PDF)	10 lanes (Word)
Keeping Lists	DQ Record	Declared FS	No Show
Admin Ref	Finals Scratch Sheet
Timing Adjustment - Lane	Pad Primary	Button Primary
Timing Adjustment - Heat	Pad Primary	Button Primary

	Important Links
	USA Swimming Forms page
	USA Swimming Officials page
	College officiating

Area Contacts
Below is a list of Pacific Swimming and zone officials chairs. They are your contacts for zone officials lists, information on becoming an official, dates of scheduled clinics in your area, and other questions about officiating.
Pacific Swimming	Brian Malick, (408) 848-1311
Zone 1 North (Peninsula)	Nan McKenna, (650) 493-4941	1N Website
Zone 1 South (South Bay/Central Coast)	Mike Davis, (408) 842-2319	1S Website
Zone 2 (East Bay, Stockton/Modesto area)	Leo Lin, (925) 933-2708
Zone 3 (San Francisco, North Bay, North Coast):	Peggy Ramirez, (707) 972-2016 Debbi Tucker, (707) 980-2663
Zone 4 (Reno/Lake Tahoe/Mountains)	Gale Maynor, (775) 265-5599 Valerie Rudd, (530) 577-7547

We're always looking -- Pacific Swimming is always looking for volunteers who are interested in becoming deck officials. While there are officials clinics in each of our five zones at various times during the year much of the training is on the job. Novice officials generally start as stroke and turn officials, and learn the ropes by attending clinics, using self-study materials, and working on deck under the supervision of an experienced official. Those who are interested move up the ladder to serving as a chief judge, then to refereeing and starting -- again, learning through a combination of clinics, self-study materials, and on-the-job training. Sound interesting? Contact the officials chairman for your zone for more information on getting started as an official in your area.
Flyer on how to become an official

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